Suction cleaning apparatus



May 8, 1945. c. H. TAYLOR SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet l I .INVENTOR CH nmss H.- TnrL,o

Filed March 27, 1945 BY TIV'ORNEY 1 M Wm May 8, 1945.

(2.; H. TAYLOR SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 27, 1945 Fla-4.

' 1 INVENTOR CHRRLES H. ThnoR.

AITORNEY y 8, 1945- c. H. TAYLOR Y SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 27, 1945 I 74/ 7:5 (78. F IC -S.

so ea g5 I04- R' OPEN as W 4 Fitz. IE. INVENTOR CHHRLE'S H.7'nYLoR WITNESSES: 1 c 11.

Patented May 8, 1945 2,375,331 SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Charles H. Taylor, Springfield, Mass, assignor .to

Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Com- .pany, ,East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of.

, Pennsylvania ApplioationiMarch 2' 7, 1943, Serial No. 480,735 v 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a suction'cleaner and more particularly to a convertible suction cleaner capable of being used as a handle-propelled cleaner or as a tank-type cleaner and which, in the latter position, is adapted for on-the-floor clean ing, for oiT-the-floorcleaning, and for blowing.

One object of my invention is to produce an improved cleaner of the type set forth.

A further object of'my invention is to produce a cleaner which can be converted from one use to another by a simple adjustment of :a built-in converting mechanism. K

A still further object of my .inventionvis to produce a suction cleaner in. which the adjustment of the converter to off-the-iioor cleaning or blowing automatically raises the rotary agitator of such cleaner out of contact with the floor covering, or other supporting surface; and in which readjustment of said cleaner to its floorcleaning position also automatically returns the rotary agitator to its original position,

These and other objects are eifected by invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a suction cleaner embodyingmy invention, the same being shown in floor nozzle cleaning position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showin the cleaner in attachment suction cleaning position;

Fig. 3-is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the cleaner in attachment blowing position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showinga' modified form of construction; 7

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the position of the valve and brushroll actuatin elements when the apparatus is used for floor nozzle cleaning;

Fig, 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4' showing the apparatus in attachment blowing position;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig.5 showingthe position of said elements when the apparatus is used for attachment blowing; i

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figs. 4and 6; showing the apparatus in attachment cleaning posi- Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 5 and '7, show ing the position of said elements when the apparatus isused for attachment cleaning;

Fig. 10 is 'a fragmentary bottom plan view of the cleaner;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of the switch which actuates the brush roll; and,

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line XII XI I of Fig. l or 4.

' Figs.1 to3 Referring to the drawings and. particularlyto the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, I show a suction cleaner comprising a casing [6, having supporting wheels l8 and 20 and a propelling handle 22. The casing I6 is provided with a, floor nozzle 24, a dust bag 26, and a suction creating device 28. The dust bag 26 is accessible for emptying by removing a detachably secured and preferably decorative cover '30. The floor nozzle 24 is provided with a rotary agitator 32 and communicates with the dust bag 26, through a passage 3 4 and a throat 35. The low pressure side of the suction creating device 28 communicates with the nozzle 24, through the dust bag 26, and

the high pressure side of the suction device communicat'es with a compartment 36. The exhaust, air in the compartment 36 is discharged toithe' atmosphere through an outlet openingfllflrfilrmed in the wall of the compartment 36 an d a dis charge'outlet 4| in the outer wall of thejcasing.

/In order to renderthe suction cle aner' con vertible from floor-nozzle cleaning to attachment cleaning or to attachment-hose blowing, 1 provide a duct 42 which is slldable in a guide opening formed bythe bottom wall 43. of the'compartment 36, the bottom wall portion 44 of the casing I 6 and side walls 45 and 46 (see Fig. 12).

While this is a preferred form of construction, it.

is tobe understood that any other supporting and guiding means for the duct 42 may be em-.

ployed. At its inner end, the passage 34 is provided with a valve 48 which isnormally biased into the position shown in Fig. l' by a spring 50. The outer'end 52 ofthe' duct 42 is adapted to be connected to one end of an attachment hose 54,

the'other end of which carries a floor nozzle or other cleaning tool (not shown). The bottom wall 43 of the'compartment 36 is provided with an opening 56 which isadapted to register with a similar openingSB formed in the upper wall of the duct 42. The upper wall of the duct 42 is also provided with a projection or lug 60 which is slidable in an opening 62 in the wall 43. The lug 60, in one position of the duct 42, serves as a shutter and coacts with a pendant wall 64 to close the opening 40 so as to prevent passage of air from the compartment to the atmosphere,

as shown. in Fig. 3. In order to facilitate assembly of theduct 42, the bottom wall portion 44 is detachably secured inposition asat 6B. The

the openings 48 and 4|.

through the nozzle 24, passage 34, throat 35, dust.

connection duct 42 is provided with an end portion as, which, when the duct 42 is in its innermost position,

" actuates the valve 48 against the action of the spring 50, or from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the positionshown in Fig. 2.

nozzle cleaning, the duct 42 is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the openings I 56 and 58 are out of registration. The end 68 of the duct 42 is out of contact with the valve 46. and the projection 60 is outof-c ontact'with the pendant wall 64. When the cleaner is in operation, the air flows through the nozzle 24, passage 34 and bag 26 into the compartment 36 42. I also provide another lever 92, fulcrumed to the wall-45 at94, and provided with notches 96, 98, and I00. :The lever 92 isconstantly biased into engagement with the pin 88 by a spring I02. The lever 92 is provided with a tip or extension I04-which is adapted to actuate a spring switch to a solenoid I08.

and out through the outlet openings 48 and 4|,

as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to usethe cleaner for attachment cleaning, the attachment hose 54 is connected to the end 52 of the duct 42 and the duct is moved to its innermost position, as shown in'Fig. 2. In this position, the valve 48 closes the passage 34 and establishes communication between the interior of the duct 42 and the suction creating device 28, through the throat 35; and the dust bag 26. 'It,will be noted that the openings 56 and 58 areagain out of registration, V

and that the lug 68 is spaced from the wall 64 so that the opening 48 is not obstructed. The air now flows through theduct 42, throat 35, dust bag 26, compartment 36=andToutlets 40 and 4|, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 2.

When' it is desired to use the apparatus for v blowing air through the attachment hose 54, the duct 42 is pulled out to its outermost position: as shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the open ings 56 and 58 are in registration and ,the' pro 40 jection .69 abuts against the pendant wall 64,1

thus interrupting communication between the compartment '36 and the atmosphere, through bag 26, compartment 36, and openings 56 and 58, andout through theduct 42, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 3.

The air now flows When the apparatus is used for a'ttachmentfl suction cleaning as shown inFig. 2, or for blowing as shown in Fig. '3, the brush roll 32 is preff erably raised out of contact with the surface being cleaned by any suitable means, oneform 1 of whichis illustrated and will be described in with the embodiment shown in Figs. I

Figs. 4 to 9 In Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, I show another embodiment of my invention in which automatic I "means are provided for actuating the valve 48 I and for raising the agitator 32 out of contact with the floor covering or other supporting surattachment? I face while the cleaner is used for hose cleaning or for blowing. 1

In order to actuate the valve 48, I provide 5 one wan '69 of the duct 42, with a pin Hlwhich i is slidable in a slot 12 formed in the adjacent vertical wall 45 of the guide opening. I also 1 1 provide, on the exterior of: said wall 45, a lever I4, fulcrume'd at 15 and provided with notches I 16, I8 and 80. The lever I4 is constantly biased into engagement with the pin 18' by a spring 82 1 and is connected to the valve 48 by a crank arm 5 86. It will be noted that in this modified formthe end portion 68 of the duct 42 is omitted. so

. notch 18.

is connected at its other end to the plunger or core H30f the solenoid I88. I A spring H4 biases the arm I I0 upwardly to raise the agitator, while the solenoid I 88, when energized, actuates' the arm I I0 downwardly against the tension of the spring H4, to bring the agitator into contact with the surface being cleaned.

OPERATION ,"Fz'gs. 4 to.9

When the cleaner is to be used for floor-nozzle cleaning, the duct 42 is moved to its, central position, as shown in Fig. 4.; In this position of the duct 42, the lever 14 assumes the position shown in Fig. 5, with the pin 18 engagingv the The valve 48 remains in the position shown in Fig.4. Also,in: thisposition ofthe duct 42, the lever 92 assumes theposition shown infFig. 5 in which the pin 88 engages the ,notch 98 and the tip I04 of the lever-92 depresses the switch I 06, from its upper open position at A to its lower closed position at B to complete the circuit through the wires I91 and energize the solenoid I08. ,Theplunger H3 isv now pulleddownwardlyand brings the agitator 32 into con tact with .thesurface being cleaned. The airv moved into its innermost position, as shown in.

Fig. 6. This moves the levers I4 and 92 to; the position shown in Fig. 7. pin 18 engages the notch 16. 16 is in lineal registration with the notch 78,

the position of the lever I4, vertically considered,

has not been changed and the valve 48 remains in the position it occupied in- Fig. 4. 'As further shown in Fig. 6,'the openings 56 and 58 are now in registration and the lug 60 is in contact with the pendant wall portion H5 to interrupt com munication between the, compartment 35 and opening 4|. nozzle 24, dust bag 26, compartment 36, open ings 56 and 58, and out through the duct, 42and hose 54, as shown by the arrows, in Fig. 6 and as described in connection with Fig. 3. Also, in this position of the duct 42, the pin 88 engages the relatively. deep notch I80. This permits the lever 92 to tilt about the fulcrum 94, under the :force: of the spring I02, to raise the tip I84 thereof In this position, the- Since'thenotch The air now flows through the solenoid I08 and the spring IM raises-the agitator 32' out ofcontact with the surface being cleaned.

When it is desiredtouse the apparatus for attachment suction cleaning, the duct 42 is moved to its outermost position, as shown in Fig. 8. The levers I4 and-92 now'occu'py theposition" shown in Fig 9. In this position, the pin 10 engages the shallow notch 80.; This causes the lever 14 to tilt about its iulcrum 84- and actuatethe crank arm 86 to move the valve 48 to close the passage 34 andestablish communication between the duct 42 and the throat 36. The air now travels through the hose 54. duct.

42, throat 35, dust bag 26', compartment 36, and outlets 4B and M as shown in Fig.8. and as described in connection with Fig. 2, The movement of th duct to its outermost position also causes the pin 88 to engage the deep notch 96. In this position, the lever 92 is again tilted so that the tip 104 remains out of contact with the spring switch I06 which will remain in its upper open position' With the switch H16 open, the solenoid I98 remains deenergized and the agitator 32 remains in its raised position. The notches 16,18,811, 96, 98, and I are suitably rounded so as to permit the pins and 88,

respectively, to move from one notch into the other when theduct 42 is positively moved, but the strength of the Springs! and M2 is such as to retain the. duct 42 in the position to which it is adjusted with sufficientiorce to prevent its accidental or unintended movement.

When the apparatus is used for attachment cleaning. the operator tends to pull the apparatus about by the hose 54, as is the common practice in the well-known tank type cleaner. In

into another operative position toclose saidoutlet and establish communication between the dischargeside of said device and said duct, and means operable by movement of said duct into either of said operative positions for raising said agitating device out of contact with said surface.

2. In a suction cleaner of the character stated, a casing; a suction-creating device therein, said casinghaving a nozzle and a passage connecting the nozzle to the suction side of said device, there order to insure against dislodg'ment of theduct cleaning to attachment cleaning or to blowing,

by the mere adjustment of the duct 42. Also, While the hose 54 is shown and describedas a separate or detachable element, it is to :be under-' stood that it can be permanently connected to,

or made integral with the end 52 of the duct 42, if so desired.

While I have shown my invention in several. forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that onlysuch limitations shall be placedthereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a cleaner of the character stated, a cas-' ing, a suction-creating device therein, said casing having a nozzlecommunicating with the suction side ofsaid device and having an outlet communicating with the discharge side of said device, a rotary agitator in said nozzle adapted to act on the surface being cleaned, a duct carried by said casing and movable into a plurality of operative positions, means actuated by movement of said duct into one operative position to interrupt communication between said nozzle being an outlet leading from-the discharge side of said device to the atmosphere, a duct slidable against a wall of said casing on the discharge side of said device, said duct having an opening therein adapted in one-operative position of said duct to register with an opening in said wall of said casing to establish communication between said duct and the discharge side of said device, means for closing said outlet when said opening in said wall of said casing is in registration with said opening in said-duct, a valve disposed in said passage and normally separating said duct from the suction side of said device and means operable by the movement'of said duct-into another operative position to actuate said valve to. close said passage and establish communication be tween the inner end of saidduct and thesuction side ofsaiddevice. l

'3. In a cleaner of the character ing, a suction-creating device therein, said casing, having a nozzle communicating with the suction side of said device and an outlet communicating with the discharge side of said device, a rotary agitator mounted for vertical movement in said nozzle, means for normally retaining said agitator in an upper position, out of contact with the surface to be cleaned, a duct carried by said cas- I ing andmovable into a plurality of operative positions, means operative by movement of said duct into one operative position for diverting suction from said nozzle into said duct, means operative by movement of said duct into another operative position for closing said outlet and establishing communication between thev discharge side of said device and said duct, and means operative by movement of said duct into still another position for moving said agitator downwardly into contact with said surface and re-establishing communication between said nozzle and said suction device and for opening said outlet. i

4. A suction cleaner including a body having a nozzle extending across the front thereof, a fan motor unitatthe rear of the cleaner, a filter chamber disposed between the fan motor unit r and the nozzle, said filter chamber having an air filter therein and having an inlet at the bottom said body having a first passage extending from said inlet to said nozzle and a second passage extending rearwardly from said inlet and adapted to be connected to a flexible hose or the like, a discharge chamber communicating with the outlet of said fan motor unit and disposed adjacent said unit'and said second passage, valve means for selectively connecting said inlet to said first passage or said second passage and closing communication with the other, and valve means for selectively connecting said discharge chamber with either the atmosphere or said second passage and closing communication with the other.

. 3 and said I casing and to' establish communication b'etweenythe suction s ide of said device andsaid Q duct, means operable by movement of said duct stated, a cas- '5. In a suction cleaner, a casing having a nozzle; a suction-creating device in said casing; a

filter through which air moved by said suctioncreating'device isadapted to pass, there being an outlet leading from the discharge side of said filter and said suction-creating device to the atmosphere, a duct carried by said casing and adapted tobe connected to an attachment hose, a valve for selectively connecting said nozzle or said duct to thelow-pressure side of'said suction-creating device, valve means for selectively connecting said outlet or said duct'to the discharge side, of said filter and said suction-creating device, and means operable by movement of said duct to actuate said valve, and said valve means to place said low-pressure andsaid dis+ communication, and with the atmosphere, in' one position of said duct, with said duct and with the atmosphere-in a secondposition of said duct, and with said nozzle and with said duct in a third position of said ducts suction-creating device therein, said casing having asuction inlet and a discharge outlet,a wall structure defining apassage adjacent a wall of said-casing, a valve for selectively connecting said inlet or said passage to the low-pressure side of said suction-creating device, there being an opening in said wall of said casing leading fromthe high-pressure side of said suction-creating de- 6. A suction cleaner comprising a casing,. a

operable by movement of said plate and adapted,

in'another position :of saidplate, to actuate said.

, valve into a position closing said inlet from the low-pressure side of said suction-creating device and establishing communication between said passage and the low-pressure side of said suctioncreating device. l v

7 The structure recited in claim 6 in which said second means includes an arm carried by said plate and movable in said passage.

'8. A suction cleaner comprising a casing, a

suction-creating device therein, said casing hav- ,15 charge-side of said suctionwreating-device in respectively, with said nozzle vice into said passage, a plate slidable longitu-1 dinallyagainst said wall and normally closing, said opening, said plate having an opening therein adapted, in one position of said plate, to register with. the opening in said wall to establish communication between the high-pressure side; of said suction-creating device and said passage means carried by said plate and adapted, in saidj position thereof, to close said outlet, and means creating device when said member is moved to said second position; 1

' CHARLES H. TAYLOR.

ing a suction inlet and a discharge outlet, wall structure defining a passage adjacent a wall of said casing, there being an opening in said wall of said casing leading from the high-pressure side of saidsuction-creating device into said passage, a member slidable longitudinally against, said wall into a first, a second or a third position, said ating device in said first and third positions of.

said member and for positioning said valve to shut said inlet on? from, and to connect said pase sage to, the low-pressure side .of said suction- 

